


Bathtub

by cominupforair



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur Pendragon Returns, Hurt/Comfort, Kink Meme, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, lots of fluff with a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 15:11:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cominupforair/pseuds/cominupforair
Summary: What Merlin isn’t used to is having someone else’s fingers spreading soap on his back, someone else’s arms around his and someone else’s mouth kissing his nape.(This is a fill for this Kink Meme prompt: I'd love to read a fic where Arthur returns, Merlin suffers from some sort of PTSD and Arthur comforts him. A little bit of angst with tons of fluff, please)





	Bathtub

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Mentions of PTSD, if you think it might trigger you, please do not read this fic.

The water is hot, so hot that it reddens Merlin’s fair skin, but that’s how he likes it.

Once, the sole purpose of hot water was to remind him that he was alive. A mere attempt to warm his bones perhaps. But now it’s sheer habitude, something he’s used to.

What Merlin isn’t used to is having someone else’s fingers spreading soap on his back, someone else’s arms around his and someone else’s mouth kissing his nape.

The bathtub is barely big enough to contain him, he has to fold his legs to fit in, but the presence of another person doesn’t bother him, even if it means that he has no space to move at all. The man’s fingers are sliding through his hair in slow movements and Merlin automatically inclines his head towards those hands.

Had anyone told him, just a month ago, that he’d have Arthur Pendragon cuddling and bathing him, he would have laughed. Or more probably cried. But indulging in the care of those hands is definitely better than anything he could have ever hoped for.

He had imagined that the return of Arthur would have also meant the return of his old life. Dangerous, scary and troubled. After all, the Once and Future King was meant to rise again in the darkest hour of Albion. But the sky is clear and everything else is just the same as before. Never had he imagined how peaceful life could be when he could afford the luxury of lying naked in the bathtub with the man he loved.

“What’s troubling you, Merlin?” Arthur breathes in his ear.  
  
“Nothing, I was just wondering when are you going to do something with my erection?”  
  
A smile spreads on Arthur’s face, Merlin can feel it even without having to turn his head. And the familiarity of that wordless connection makes him shiver. Not even death has destroyed their bond. He had doubted that the day foretold by Kilgharrah would ever come, that Arthur would remember him, that things between them would be as they were before, but being able to see, _feel_ , that nothing has changed is overwhelming. His fears, the loneliness, the regrets, they are all in the past now. Merlin feels tears brimming his eyes, but he can’t hide the relief. Two thousand years haven’t changed anything.

Arthur’s lips catch one of the tears before it falls in the water, slowly kissing his jaw with such a devotion that almost makes him cry again. Then his voice: “Don’t, seriously, don’t cry. Your ears are big enough, you don’t want to make them redder, do you?”

This time Merlin turns his head towards Arthur, pretending to be mortally offended, but with his lips already curled in a grin.  
  
“Ohw you prat,” he spits, but he really has no chance to continue bickering because Arthur bites on Merlin’s lower lip, then sucks it, kisses him while his hands wander on his body. Merlin’s back completely adheres to Arthur’s strong muscled chest, losing himself in the comfort and the warmth of the embrace.

In his long life he had never belonged to anyone, but Arthur. He feels as if every part of him wants, claims and itches for his touch. The pressing of those fingers on his ribs, on his abdomen, on his hips and down, down, the way Arthur caresses the inner tights, his hips, near, nearer but never there. Lust makes him quiver and arch his body towards those hands. Then the kiss deepens and oh god, snogging Arthur is fucking brilliant. His tongue follows the rhythm of his hands and thoroughly conquers every part of his mouth: it sucks, slides on his teeth, then sucks a little bit more, finally retreats, licks his lips slowly and starts all over again. He kisses like he sparrs, with no intention to lose, he wants it all and he fights to get it. Having Arthur Pendragon is just like having the Sun. Astonishingly bright, warm and immense. He could let the magic of the whole world flow in his veins, master the darkest and strongest spells ever created, but nothing would compare to this sensation. Being aware of the immense power they wield, how deadly they both are and how they melt into each other arms. Merlin can’t believe he has such a privilege.  
  
His breath gets stuck in his throat when Arthur finally fists his cock. He hasn’t even started moving but the simple thought of it is making Merlin so hard that he knows he’s going to come embarrassingly fast. It’s just the sum of all those sensations, Arthur’s tongue still in his mouth, his perfume, the solid body against his skin, the warmth and again their connection, his laughter, his voice. He can’t help it when he moans “I love you, Arthur, body, mind and soul.”

 

But suddenly the water is cold and so is Arthur whose hands have stopped moving.

Merlin tries to turn towards him and see what’s happening, but he can’t. Something is blocking him.

“Why did you do that?” Arthur’s voice is pained, broken and then he disappears. Vanishes. And Merlin, caught off guard, falls on his back. His head is underwater, and something is pulling him down, to the bottom of the bathtub.

But he never seems to touch the bottom, he keeps on going down, deep deep down. There’s no light. His limbs are getting heavier. There’s no use fighting it.

The echo of Arthur’s voice follows him in the abyss. “Why did you do that?”  
But it’s fainter and fainter. The coldness of the water is choking him, but he struggles against it.

He has just found Arthur, he can’t lose him again.

 

A hand grasps his arm and shakes him.

It takes Merlin a few moments before he realises that the sun is shining and that he isn’t actually drowning.

And then Arthur’s voice again, but this time reassuring and calm, “It’s ok Merlin, it was just a dream”.

He knows that, but having a tangible proof that Arthur is on the bed next to him is better, so he curls up in his arms, breathing in his earthy perfume until he calms down, their legs entwined and Arthur’s fingers slowly carding his hair.

He’d hoped they would stop, he’d hoped the nightmares would stop now that he has Arthur next to him, but it’s only getting worse. It’s almost as if his mind can’t really grasp the fact that he’s not alone anymore and Arthur won’t go anywhere, he’s here to stay. He’s here to stay. He’s here to stay. He repeats it like a mantra, when he wakes up, when he has breakfast in their flat, when he showers, he’s here to stay, please, please.

It takes him at least five more minutes before he finds the strength to open his eyes and meet his boyfriend’s concerned look.  
  
“You know, you should see a physician for those nightmares. It has been a month and you’ve barely slept a couple of hours since I came back,” Arthur whispers as he kisses his forehead.

Merlin dismisses him with a soft laughter, hoping to distract him. He hates seeing Arthur worried, especially when he’s the cause of such concern.

Arthur, that stubborn bastard, continues, “Seriously, you idiot, you can’t ke-" but Merlin pulls him towards his lips in an attempt to shut him up with a kiss. He really isn’t in the mood of arguing at 8 a.m. And just to be more persuasive he rubs his leg on Arthur’s crotch. Slowly, happy to find that, despite the resistance of his owner, Arthur’s cock is enjoining these attentions. Merlin loves morning sex, especially when he wakes up from a nightmare, it kind of grounds him. Having Arthur inside him is his twisted mind’s way of making sure that Arthur is there, not sleeping at the bottom of the lake. Besides, finally getting to wake up next to Arthur makes him incredibly horny, thank you very much. For fuck’s sake, he has waited centuries for this.  
  
 "No, no, Merlin, I’m late, I have to go to the office, a meeting, it’s important” Arthur insists, stammers, almost moans actually. His faint protests aren’t convincing at all, especially considering that they are already dry humping.

“What’s the use of being the boss if you can’t show up late for work because you spent the morning shagging your boyfriend?”

A huge smile spreads on Merlin’s face as Arthur flips their positions.

Arthur is going to be very late for work. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, feedback, lovely people correcting my mistakes all loved and appreciated :D


End file.
